Cauddwell Castle

Cauddwell Castle stands on a ridge above the River Fiddich in Moray, five and a half kilometres north-west of Dufftown. Built in the 13th century, it was also known as Boharm Castle, Gallvall Castle and Goldwell Castle. Freskin, a Flemish nobleman, once held the site before it passed to the Earls of Moray. In 1562 Mary, Queen of Scots stayed at the castle during her travels. An earlier fortification may have existed on the same spot long before the stone walls rose. The castle was a large enclosure with a thick curtain wall surrounding a courtyard and a hall. Over time the buildings were altered and extended to meet changing needs. The long hall stretched 38.5 metres north to south, with walls up to 2.5 metres thick. The west wall still stands in places to a height of 6.5 metres, offering a glimpse of the structure’s former scale. The courtyard probably lay to the east of the hall, protected by the ridge’s natural slopes. Visitors today find quiet grassy slopes where the ridge once defended the castle. The surviving west wall rises above the ground, marking the line of the great hall. The River Fiddich winds below, and the wider landscape of Moray stretches away to the south. The site is small but it holds traces of royal visit and noble ambition from centuries past.